Jimmie Allen Sued for Assault, Sexual Abuse by Ex-Manager

Jimmie Allen‘s former manager is suing the country singer for alleged sexual assault and abuse over an 18-month period. The woman told Variety Allen raped her and repeatedly harassed and abused her when she worked for his management company. Allen, whose songs include “Best Shot” and “Down Home,” denied the allegations and said he had a consensual sexual relationship with the woman.

Some of the woman’s allegations center around Allen’s May 2021 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote his children’s book, My Voice Is A Trumpet. The day before the taping, Allen allegedly assaulted the woman on the plane to Los Angeles, groping her and pushing his penis against her body in public. She also told Variety Allen masturbated in front of her at their hotel. After the taping, she says Allen pushed his fingers into her vagina while she tried to pull him away.

During an earlier 2021 work trip to Los Angeles to film an American Idol appearance, Allen allegedly raped the woman, according to her lawsuit. She claims she woke up in her hotel room after a business dinner in severe pain and bleeding. She remembered nothing of the night before, but Allen was next to her in bed. She claims he told her to take a Plan B pill and she realized she lost her virginity against her choice. The woman, who shared several other alleged instances of harassment from Allen with Variety, filed her lawsuit in Tennessee federal court and is identified as “Jane Doe.”

“I was disconnected from my body, feeling a sense of panic,” the woman told Variety. She claims Allen told her “I’ve been thinking about this for so long” after she was allegedly raped. “He held me in place. At that point, any physical will was just out the door. I was pretty much paralyzed,” she said.

Allen disputed her allegations, claiming she was “one of my closest friends, colleagues, and confidants” and found it “deeply troubling” she would make “allegations that have no truth to them whatsoever.” He claims they had a two-year consensual sexual relationship.

“During that time, she never once accused me of any wrongdoing, and she spoke of our relationship and friendship as being something she wanted to continue indefinitely,” Allen told Variety. “Only after things ended between us, did she hire a lawyer to reach out and ask for money, which leads me to question her motives. The simple fact is, her accusations are not only false but also extremely damaging. I’ve worked incredibly hard to build my career, and I intend to mount a vigorous defense to her claims and take all other legal action necessary to protect my reputation.”

The woman’s attorney insisted her client did not ask for money. The attorney said they met with Allen and his lawyers to “discuss Allen’s behavior and resolution of our client’s claims” and their client “did not” demand money. “The response was a hard no, and colored with threats that his team would take steps to publicly tarnish my client,” the woman’s attorney said. “My client had no choice but to be proactive in protecting herself by filing the complaint.”

The woman’s lawsuit also lists her former employer, Wide Open Music, and its founder, Ash Bowers, as defendants. After she brought her allegations to the firm, she said Wide Open dropped Allen as a client, but they also fired her. Bowers told Variety Jane Doe was only let go because her position was eliminated and his firm “transitioned out of artist management completely.” Bowers also said he was unaware of a sexual relationship between Allen and Jane Doe until she shared her allegations with him on Oct. 4, 2022.

The woman sued Allen for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking, and emotional distress; and Bowers and Wide Open for gross negligence and participating in a venture engaged in sex trafficking, and other counts. She requested a jury trial and seeks undisclosed monetary damages, reports Variety.

The allegations against Allen surfaced less than a month after the singer and his wife, Alexis Gale, announced their separation. When sharing the news, Allen said Gale is also expecting their third child together. They married in May 2021.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.